Nutritional Yeast

Posted on August 24, 2014

Have you ever heard of Nutritional Yeast? It is literally a drug for all vegans. I know, the name does not sound very appealing…but the taste!!! Nutritional Yeast is the secret ingredient in “cheesy” but cheese free dishes. It has a “nutty-cheesy” flavor to die for. You can use it to make nut cheese, to sprinkle on pizzas or pasta, to make creamy sauces such as Alfredo or on a mac n’ cheese. Try it on a organic and home made pop corn! Yummy!

Vegan mac n’ cheese! Yes it is possible! I will give you some nice recipes on my next post….

Nutritional yeast is made from a single-celled organism, Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, which is grown on molasses and then harvested, washed, and dried with heat to kill or “deactivate” it. Because it’s inactive, it doesn’t grow like baking yeast does. It has no leavening ability.

Nutritional Yeast is an excellent source of protein. It contains an average of 50% protein by weight. Nutritional Yeast is also a rich source of B-complex vitamins that are important for normal and healthy body functions.

The brand that most vegans use is Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula because it is fortified with vitamin B12 and contains no whey, an animal product that is used in some other brands. In the U.K., nutritional yeast is sold under the Engevita brand and in Australia as savory yeast flakes.